George Charles Bingham, third Earl of Lucan (1800-1888)

Marjie Bloy Ph.D. Senior Research Fellow,
National University of Singapore

George Charles Bingham was born in London on 16 April 1800. He was eldest son
of Richard, second Earl of Lucan and his wife Elizabeth who was the third daughter
of Henry, third Earl of Fauconberg of Newborough and the divorced wife of Bernard
Edward Howard who became the fifteenth Duke of Norfolk.

Bingham was educated at Westminster School and became an ensign in the 6th
Regiment of Foot on 29 August 1816. He moved to the 3rd Foot Guards on 24 December
1818 and went on half-pay the next day. On 20 January 1820 he became a lieutenant
in the 8th Foot. He obtained a company in the 74th foot on 16 May 1822, again
went on half-pay, and on 20 June moved to the 1st Life Guards. On 1 December
1825 he was appointed as a Major to the 17th Lancers
and succeeded to the command of the regiment as Lieutenant-Colonel on 9 November
1826. On 14 April 1837 he went on half-pay once more. Although the regiment
remained in England, Bingham was attached to the Russian staff and was present
at the Balkans campaign of 1828. In 1829 he married Anne, seventh daughter of
Robert, sixth earl of Cardigan, by whom he had two sons and four daughters;
she died on 2 April 1877.

This portrait of Lord Lucan graciously has been shared with the Victorian Web by Stephen Luscombe, from his website, The British Empire, and to whom thanks are due. Copyright, of course, remains with him. Click on the image for a larger view

Bingham was MP for County Mayo between 1826 and 1830. On 30 June 1839 he succeeded
his father as Earl of Lucan and in 1840 was elected as one of the representative
peers of Ireland. He became Lord Lieutenant of County Mayo in 1845, and embarked
on the improvement of his Irish estates
where he appears to have universally hated. During the Famine,
he was less than sympathetic to the plight of his tenants. He became a Colonel
in the army on 23 November 1841, and a Major-General on 11 November 1851.

In 1854 the Crimean War broke out and Lucan applied
for a brigade. On 21 February he was appointed to the command of the cavalry
division consisting of a Heavy and a Light Brigade. The Light Brigade was under
the command of Lucan's brother-in-law, Lord Cardigan.
Unfortunately, the two men loathed each other and were unable to work together.
Cardigan complained about Lucan's interference, and Lucan complained that Cardigan's
ideas of independence were encouraged by Lord Raglan.

At the battle of Balaclava, it was Lucan
who sent the Light Brigade into the "Valley of
Death"; the two Heavy regiments suffered
seriously, and Lucan was wounded in the leg by a bullet. When they met Raglan
said to him, ‘You have lost the Light Brigade!’ and said in his
despatch of 28 October that ‘from some misconception of the instruction
to advance the Lieutenant-General considered that he was bound to attack at
all hazards.’ Lucan complained against the censure but the government
decided that he should be recalled, as it was essential that the commander of
the forces should be on good terms with the commander of his cavalry.

Lucan returned to England at the beginning of March 1855 and applied for a
court-martial, which was refused. He vindicated himself
in the House of Lords on 19 March. Lucan received the Crimean medal with four
clasps, the Legion of Honour (3rd class), the Medjidie (1st class) and was made
K.C.B. on 5 July 1855. He became Colonel of the 8th Hussars on 17 November and
then had no further military employment although he was promoted to Lieutenant-General
on 24 December 1858, to General on 28 August 1865 and finally to Field-Marshal
on 21 June 1887. He died at 13 South Street, Park Lane on 10 November 1888 and
was buried at Laleham, Middlesex.